One of the first things I did when setting up the TV was turning ECO off but it was, somehow, back on. I turned it off and the problem is gone. Thanks.

I had a similar issue where my custom picture settings were lost, and then found out that using the "service menu" automatically reverts some of your settings back to factory. I used the service menu just to look at a few things without changing any values, but when I restarted the TV all of my picture customizations were lost. However, I don't recall if the ECO setting was reverted too as a result of using the service menu.

Is it normal for the "new and improved" smart hub to only have 3 icons instead of 5 now? I turned my TV on last night after not watching it for a few days and noticed immediately at boot that there were only 3 icons where it always had 5 since day one.

It looked more impressive with 5 icons. I know the "social" screen is gone but I don't know what else they changed. The landing screen also has a handful of channel recommendations that look like they have arabic text, so I'm not sure what that is all about either, and I don't want to click on them for fear that the "smart" hub will think that is my preference or something...

Is it normal for the "new and improved" smart hub to only have 3 icons instead of 5 now? I turned my TV on last night after not watching it for a few days and noticed immediately at boot that there were only 3 icons where it always had 5 since day one. It looked more impressive with 5 icons. I know the "social" screen is gone but I don't know what else they changed. The landing screen also has a handful of channel recommendations that look like they have arabic text, so I'm not sure what that is all about either, and I don't want to click on them for fear that the "smart" hub will think that is my preference or something...

That was a change announced (ad nauseam) onscreen (if you have a Samsung account) for the past 3 weeks or so. Samsung has been steadily eliminating many of the pointless services this TV originally offered (viewing guide?!), and many apps as well. When I bought the unit, I immediately set it to boot up to live TV, as all that other stuff is so much clutter. Yes, there are only 3 icons now, and I also saw several TV services with Arabic lettering, probably the Al Jazeera version of the Golf Shopping Channel...
(Edit 1/17/16 Al Jazeera just shut down all their US channels, so it's probably not that... LOL)

I am experiencing something weird with my F8500 and was wondering if anyone had some suggestions on how to fix it. The television seems to turn itself on at random times throughout the day. It is connected to a Denon X4000 via ARC, so maybe that is the culprit? I haven't tested it out yet, but it should turn itself off after 15 minutes of no signal so this could have happened from the beginning and I would have not known.

Thanks for any advice and please don't hesitate to ask me for more information if necessary.

I have the 60" version and am looking at upgrading to LG OLED or one of samsung's quantum dot SUHD sets. What would your all opinion be on where the F8500 falls for picture quality.

I don't want to 'upgrade' to 4k and UHD but have terribly worse picture quality overall. It all boils down to, am I looking at paying another 3 grand or so for the same quality or have prices fallen for comparable tech?

Personally, I think you're paying a premium price (e.g. $5K for a OLED65G6P) for a minimal improvement of picture quality. There isn't much content available in native 4K resolution everything else is upscaled. If you want to take advantage of a UHD HT experience you'll also need to replace you're BD player & AVR too.

So it will cost approximately $10K to move from HD to UHD and who knows if the current UHD specs. will be in effect 5 years from now. However, I remember buying my 1st HDTV around 2003 w/2 HD channels to watch, now I have over 100 so perhaps by 2025 UHDTV will be a reality.

I have the 60" version and am looking at upgrading to LG OLED or one of samsung's quantum dot SUHD sets. What would your all opinion be on where the F8500 falls for picture quality.

I don't want to 'upgrade' to 4k and UHD but have terribly worse picture quality overall. It all boils down to, am I looking at paying another 3 grand or so for the same quality or have prices fallen for comparable tech?

IMO the following PQ attributes will be a downgrade from your plasma from the OLEDs:

1) Motion resolution
2) Video processing
3) Near black detail/banding

Everything else should be the same or better, video processing should only be notable from poorer sources

From FALD LCDs:

1) They’re still transmissive displays!

The only Samsung that has FALD is the KS9800. Sony has the FALD 940D (75” only) and many are smitten with the new Sony Z9D series but the 65” model is priced at $6K . Personally I would only consider the Z9D among LCD televisions. Given your $3,000 or so price range the LG OLED 65B6 (65C6 if 3D is important to you) may be closes to your target especially as we approach the holidays. You're essentially getting the same PQ as the bloated G6.

The 2017 CES is only 3 months away and you can see if LG made any significant strides with their OLEDs, if not get the 65B6 and if so wait till this time next year – The F8500 is still very competitive with SDR content.

That was a change announced (ad nauseam) onscreen (if you have a Samsung account) for the past 3 weeks or so. Samsung has been steadily eliminating many of the pointless services this TV originally offered (viewing guide?!), and many apps as well. When I bought the unit, I immediately set it to boot up to live TV, as all that other stuff is so much clutter. Yes, there are only 3 icons now, and I also saw several TV services with Arabic lettering, probably the Al Jazeera version of the Golf Shopping Channel...
(Edit 1/17/16 Al Jazeera just shut down all their US channels, so it's probably not that... LOL)

I broke my plasma and need a replacement. There is used one available locally. What should I look for in the way of faults and problems? Is there a video file that would help in testing the unit out before buying?

I would display an all-white screen and look for signs of burn-in or discoloration (besides the little bit of pink tint that is fairly common) or dead pixels.
Make sure it hasn't been run in "Torch Mode" (contrast and brightness all the way up) for hours at a time.
Good luck.
Michael